This resource page is intended for Economic Development Districts (EDDs) and Regional Development Organizations (RDOs) that are beginning to engage with data center development in their regions. It compiles reports, model ordinances, and policy analyses from a range of sources that address the planning, economic, and infrastructure considerations associated with data center siting and construction.  A NADO Research Foundation brief will also be released soon to provide a more in-depth examination of the roles EDDs play in supporting regional responses to data center activity. 

Contact NADO Program Manager Joe D’Antonio with any questions or to suggest additional resources to include on this page.

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Planning for Data Centers

The Future of Data Centers (Brookings)

This overview examines the data center landscape, including facility types, geographic distribution, financial investments, barriers to development, and workforce impacts. It covers critical challenges such as energy and water consumption, permitting, and electric grid investment needs. EDDs supporting local governments will find this useful as a primer on the industry’s scope and the infrastructure planning considerations that communities must navigate when working with local communities on data center projects.

Turning the Data Center Boom into Long-Term, Local Prosperity (Brookings)

This report argues that the AI-era data center buildout race is giving regions new leverage in data center negotiations, and that communities should treat siting decisions as ecosystem-shaping opportunities rather than isolated real estate transactions. It documents how the standard data center development model, characterized by speedy dealmaking and opaque negotiations, delivers short-term construction jobs but underwhelming long-term economic benefits relative to project sizes. EDDs can use this resource to help local governments understand their bargaining position and negotiate co-investments in workforce development, R&D partnerships, and regional technology ecosystems.

Local Guidelines for Data Center Development (Urban Land Institute)

This resource seeks to demystify data centers for local officials by describing key planning issues, including the lack of a uniform land-use category for data centers, sound mitigation, fire safety considerations, and site aesthetics. It also includes a comprehensive model zoning ordinance. EDDs can share this resource with local governments that need a practical roadmap for integrating data centers into their community planning and land use landscape.

Getting It Right: Local Approaches to Data Center Development (Southern Environmental Law Center)

This report provides guidance and best practices for local governments interested in increasing transparency and accountability around data center development. It explains options for how local zoning ordinances can empower governing bodies to address data centers in an informed and responsible way and includes examples of data center-specific development provisions from several localities. EDDs can use this to help communities understand the range of regulatory tools available to them.

Data Centers and Their Energy Consumption (Congressional Research Service)

This nonpartisan FAQ report from CRS documents that U.S. data centers account for approximately 4.4% of national energy consumption today, and projects that demand could double or triple by 2028. It covers data center energy basics including cooling strategies, water use, power utilization effectiveness metrics, and the current absence of binding federal energy standards for these facilities. EDDs helping communities evaluate data center proposals will find this a useful, politically neutral reference for understanding the energy and infrastructure demands these facilities bring.

Data Centers are Coming. Here’s How Communities can Negotiate for Local Benefit. (Connect Humanity/Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition)

Connect Humanity published this blog post after a workshop organized by the Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition in Pharr, Texas on ways to negotiate Public Benefit Agreements with data center developers. The post covers what communities should ask before offering incentives, what can actually be on the table in a negotiation with a data center developer, and where local leverage comes from in the negotiating process. The underlying argument is that communities have more bargaining power than they tend to realize and should use it before a project is already in motion. A simplified slide deck from the workshop is available as a PDF download. EDDs may find this useful for helping local governments think through negotiation strategy, particularly in regions without prior data center experience.

What Rural Communities Need to Know About AI Data Centers (Rural Assembly/Radically Rural)

This recorded webinar from Rural Assembly and Radically Rural covers many of the issues featured in other resources in this collection, but is oriented specifically toward rural practitioners and community members. It focuses on what’s actually known and disputed about data center impacts, the political landscape at the federal and state level, and the tools communities have to maintain local decision-making power. EDDs may find it useful as something to share with local officials or stakeholders who prefer a conversation format over a written guide. 

Data Centers in the Great Lakes Region (University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service)

This study examines the economic, fiscal, and energy-related impacts of data centers across eight Great Lakes states, finding that data center energy demand will more than double in five of them as new facilities come online. It provides state-level fact sheets, a policymaker FAQ, and data on job creation, GDP contributions, and regional competitiveness. EDDs in the Great Lakes region and beyond can use this as a model for understanding the scale and implications of data center growth in their own areas and for communicating it to relevant stakeholders.

Data Center Resource Webpage (Central Pines Regional Council)

The Central Pines Regional Council, an Economic Development District in North Carolina, created this resource page to make information on data centers easily accessible to their communities and is a model for other regional organizations looking to do the same.  It includes a ten page reference guide explaining the basics of data center design and resource use, as well as practical tips for local governments engaging with data center developers. 

The Economic Impacts of Data Centers

Data Centers in Virginia (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission)

This legislative audit finds that data centers contribute 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, and $9.1 billion in GDP to Virginia’s economy annually and that they will be the primary driver of a projected doubling of statewide energy demand over the next decade. It includes legislative recommendations around utility authority, water use estimation requirements, and sound level standards for data center operations. Though aimed specifically at Virginia policymakers, it demonstrates the basic contours of data center economic impacts and includes valuable considerations that EDDs should keep in mind while modeling or discussing this issue.

Policy Snapshot: Data Center Incentives (National Conference of State Legislatures)

This snapshot provides an overview of the data center tax incentive landscape across the states. It finds that 37 states now offer some form of incentive program to attract data center investment and details the range of tools states use, including abatement types, levels, and triggers. EDDs can use this resource to help local governments understand the competitive environment for data center siting and the state-level policy context that shapes what communities can negotiate.

Why Community Benefit Agreements Are Necessary for Data Centers (Brookings)

This report makes the case for legally binding community benefit agreements (CBAs) as a tool for addressing growing public resistance to data center development related to electricity costs, water use, and environmental impacts. It recommends that CBAs include strong commitments for job creation, tax revenue, workforce training, and community being contributions, along with metric tracking and evaluation programs. EDDs can use this framework to help local governments develop transparent, enforceable agreements with data center developers.

Preparing for Data Centers YouTube Series (PennFuture Media)

This resource, produced by a Pennsylvania nonprofit, is a useful primer for EDD staff covering a variety of data center economic and resource considerations. Each of the six 10-15-minute-long videos discusses a distinct issue in an easy-to-follow, infographic-rich format. It may be useful for busy EDD staff looking for a quick and informative introduction to a range of data center topics.

Federal and State Resources 

Reuse Considerations for Data Centers on Brownfield Sites (U.S. EPA)

In accordance with the Executive Order on Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure, EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program has assembled a set of guides and mapping tools to help brownfield stakeholders learn more about what to consider when evaluating whether a brownfield site can be redeveloped into a data center. The guides include resources that can be shared with local governments, in community planning processes, and to real estate partners and site marketers.

Reuse Considerations for Data Centers on Superfund Sites (U.S. EPA) 

This page includes resources like those described in the link above but compiled by the EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program for superfund stakeholders. It includes a number of guides and mapping tools developed in response to the Executive Order that may be useful for EDDs or the communities they support when evaluating data center projects on superfund sites.

Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers (U.S. EPA)

This page, assembled in accordance with the Executive Order on Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, assembles information on Clean Air Act regulations, guidance, and technical tools that can assist with modeling, air quality permitting, and regulatory interpretations relevant for data centers and AI facilities. While more oriented towards a technical audience, it may help EDDs understand and share resources with their communities about the emissions impact of data centers, particularly those with on-site backup or primary power generation. 

Data Center Myth-Busting Reference Guide (Kansas Department of Commerce)  

This reference guide addresses ten common concerns about data center development that tend to surface in community opposition. It covers water consumption, utility rate impacts, noise, land use, grid stability, fiscal revenue, and broader economic effects, organized around a structured format that pairs each claim with sourced counterpoints and honest caveats about where community concerns are legitimate and where they may be overstated. Kansas-specific provisions make it especially useful for practitioners in that state, but most of the findings are generalizable to other context. EDDs working with local governments or stakeholders encountering data center proposals for the first time will find it a practical communication tool, particularly for public meetings and elected official briefings. 

Model Ordinances

Zoning for Data Centers and Cryptocurrency Mining (American Planning Association)

This report and model ordinance explores why communities may wish to define and regulate data centers and cryptocurrency mining as distinct uses in their zoning codes, providing a summary of contemporary approaches from across the country. It examines key planning issues including electricity and water use, noise production, safety and security needs, and low employment densities, and offers a series of questions to guide code drafting. EDDs working with local planners can use this as a starting point for thinking through how zoning codes should address these facilities.

Data Center Model Ordinance (York County Planning Commission)

This model ordinance from a Pennsylvania county planning commission provides detailed, adaptable language for municipalities to regulate data center development, including definitions, zoning district placement, site requirements, stormwater management, and environmental impact assessments. It addresses practical concerns like noise limits, riparian buffers, solar-ready rooftop design, and consistency with comprehensive plans. EDDs can share this as a concrete example that local governments can adapt to their own planning contexts.

Local Guidelines for Data Center Development (Urban Land Institute)

This resource includes a model zoning ordinance for local governments that addresses a comprehensive set of land use considerations for data center development. EDDs can share this as a flexible tool that local governments can adapt to their own planning contexts.

Data Centers are Here and More Are Coming.  Our Zoning is Not Ready. (Smart Growth America) 

This resource provides best practice recommendations for local governments that are struggling to keep up with the rapid development of data centers. The article argues that data centers do not fit the mold of traditional zoning and emphasizes proactive siting, infrastructure alignment, cost protections for residents, and clearer community benefits for communities to become “data center‑ready.” EDDs may find this useful for initial guidance on establishing new zoning ordinances and/or regulations for data centers coming into their communities.